abbe odenwalder

I grew up with a spoon in my mouth. I talked with one in there too. Ketchup on steak, Kool-Aid, and Western French dressing were necessities in my early years. Growing up in a small town in Illinois required a love of Wally's hamburgers, A and W sauce buns, and Monical's pizza. Throw in a few church dinners, some good Italian friends, and one has the making of a gourmet. Right? And me; a good Jewish girl! Luckily, my parents cast me adrift to see the world when I was in my teens. I quickly discovered the best way to explore was with "that spoon" in my mouth. As I moved West to higher altitudes, cooking seemed the best way to continue my exploration; and experimenting on family guinea pigs has never stopped. Of course, it was a bit of a challenge when they left for college; so my daughter suggested a blog. With infinite wisdom, I of course said yes; not having a clue to what "blog" even meant. Now with a son spreading wings in Shanghai and the "suggestor" on the East coast, I must say it was a good idea, indeed! So here I am. Still cookin' through life, one bite at a time! With that spoon in my mouth!